Please Come Home
by Burton's Disney Princess
Summary: "One week. That's all it was supposed to be. One god damned week. Yet it had been three weeks since there had been any word from the crew of the Jolly Roger. " A bit of an angst fest, different from what I usually do! Set roughly 4 years after the pilot.
1. Chapter 1

**Alright, I'm attempting a multi-chapter fic, one that I think is going to be a bit of an angst fest. It's very different from what I normally write (I'm more of a fluff person), but so far I'm very satisfied with what I've written! Hope you guys enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Nope, of course I don't own Once Upon a Time**

One week. That's all it was supposed to be. _One god damned week. _Yet it had been three weeks since there had been any word from the crew of the Jolly Roger. Killian and his crew had taken the ship out for what was to be nothing more than a recreational sail. For the past two weeks, Emma had been doing little aside from locking herself in her bedroom, surfacing only on the rare occasion her parents or her son were able to coax her out. Mary-Margaret was determined to see that today be one of those days.

"Emma, it's me. Can I come in?" she called as she lightly knocked on the door. Emma didn't respond right away. After a few moments of silence, Mary-Margaret called again; still no response. Concerned for her daughter, she tried the handle and found the door was unlocked. Upon entering, Mary-Margaret was able to see that, physically, Emma was just fine. However, it was very clear that her mental state had been better. She was sitting on her bed, staring at her wedding ring while fidgeting with it.

"Honey, can we talk?" the brunette approached her daughter gently. She knew that Emma would not respond well if she were to demand anything of her. Emma responded with silence.

"Emma, please? I know that none of this is easy, but I can tell that it's eating away at you. Keeping everything in won't help at all." Mary-Margaret placed her hand on Emma's shoulder. This prompted the blonde to speak.

"I never should have let him go," she whispered, more to herself than to her mother.

"No Emma, do _not _blame yourself for this. You had no idea that anything would happen to Killian. In fact, we still don't know that anything bad has even happened."

"Well, I look at it this way – either something bad has happened to him or else he's met some other girl on his escapades and he doesn't intend to come back. Try choosing the more favorable option between those two," Emma snapped. She was very clearly on edge despite Mary-Margaret's attempts to calm her daughter's nerves.

"You know what? This is _his_ fault, not mine. Killian shouldn't have been planning any sailing trips right now. He had responsibilities _here_ with _me_! I'm eight months pregnant for god's sake!" Emma was now releasing all the anger and hurt that she'd been hiding for two weeks. "Shit, what if he left _because_ of that? He said he wanted a baby, but what if he got scared and ran?"

"Trust me, Emma, he didn't," Mary-Margaret reassured her.

"Oh and how would you know?" Emma spoke more harshly than intended.

"Because he's talked to me about the baby before. The last time I saw any man that excited about anything was when your father talked about you while I was pregnant. I think he was happier about this baby than you could see. I _know_ that he wouldn't have left you because of that." Emma let what her mother had said sink in. She then realized that the older woman was right. Suddenly, Emma began sobbing. For the last two weeks, she had tried to deny any of this was happening. Now that she was actually talking to her mother, something that she hadn't done since the night Killian was to return home, it began to hit her that this wasn't a dream. This was real.

"He needs to come home; I can't do any of this without him. I can't have this baby knowing he isn't going to be here. I've gone through labor once by myself and I can't do it again. And I sure as hell can't raise a child by myself. I missed the first ten years of Henry's life. He came to me as, I will grudgingly admit, a very well raised child. I'm just going to screw this poor baby up."

"You most certainly will not," Mary-Margaret told her. "I know you may not have been with Henry since the beginning, but you've done a wonderful job with him over the past four years. I have no doubts that you'll do just as well with this little one."

Emma gave a small smile despite everything. Knowing that someone actually had faith in her abilities to raise a child made her feel a slight bit better - only slightly.

"Hey, why don't you come down for dinner? A change of scenery might be good for you," Mary-Margaret suggested. She hated that Emma was choosing to spend most of her time in her room…_their_ room. Surely every moment Emma spent there had to remind her of Killian, likely making her all the more upset. Emma considered for a moment, finally caving into her mother's coaxing.

"Well…I guess so." Mary-Margaret had a feeling Emma was only going along with this because she was pregnant and had a life besides her own to think about. Even Emma could realize that she hadn't been eating nearly enough lately.

When the duo arrived downstairs, David and Henry eagerly greeted them. Mary-Margaret and David's one-year-old daughter Sophie also greeted her sister, but in her own way.

"Hey, Emma," David said gently, "How are you?" He assumed that he knew the answer, but he always hoped that, somehow, he would be wrong.

"The same, more or less," was Emma's response. She turned her attention to her son, knowing that hearing about his day would brighten her mood. "So, Henry, what have you been up to all day?"

"Well, this morning I went out with David and he taught me a bunch of new things with my sword and then I spent a few hours with Regina, since it's been a while since I've visited her, and then I got together with Grace for a while before I came home."

"Sounds fun," Emma smiled at him, hoping that a small bit of enthusiasm could be heard in her voice. She _was_ interested in what was going on in Henry's life, especially now that he was fourteen, nearing fifteen. She was just incredibly distracted with Killian's disappearance.

The family finished their meal in relative silence. There was some small talk, though it was obvious that no one wanted to be the person who accidentally brought up Killian.

"Hey, Emma, would you mind watching Sophie for a little bit while David and I clean up and get a few other things done?" Mary-Margaret asked after their meal. On some level, Emma realized that this was more than likely a ploy to get her to stay out of her room. However, it was working.

"Of course," she responded. Mary-Margaret handed Sophie over to her sister. Because of the age difference, Emma was more of an aunt to the little girl than anything. However, that hadn't affected the bond they instantly shared.

"Hey, Soph," Emma smiled. She couldn't help but perk up a little bit after seeing the innocence on her sister's face. The baby was the only person in the house who had absolutely no idea what was going on. She was fortunate enough to know nothing about the potentially tragic situation that was unfolding. Something about that made Emma feel a tiny bit better.

"Let's go to the living room so I can set you down, ok?" the blonde said to the little girl. She very often forgot that carrying Sophie around while pregnant was not the greatest idea. Mary-Margaret could hear Henry joining them moments later. Henry had taken on a more brotherly role with Sophie, despite the fact that she was technically his aunt. She smiled to herself as she heard her two daughters and her grandson laughing together. Emma's spirits were clearly lifted, if only temporarily. Mary-Margaret was aware that Emma would likely enjoy some time with her family, but would then retire to her room for the night, only to be reminded that no one had any idea where her husband was or if he'd be coming home.

"I will never understand why she thinks she won't be a good mother to this baby," David commented to his wife as they finished cleaning.

"Well, she feels there's a lot of things in her life that she's messed up. I always try to tell her that, no matter what may have happened in the past, things have turned around. She's done so well with Henry since he came back into her life and she's great with Sophie. I have no doubt that she'll be able to handle everything, even if she does have to do it alone."

"She won't be alone though," David pointed out. "She'll have the two of us, she'll have Henry…I'm sure even the rest of the extended family would be there for her if need be."

"I really just hope Killian comes back," Mary-Margaret sighed. The chances were getting slimmer and slimmer by the day; she was well aware of this fact. For Emma's sake, she refused to give up hope.

"Hey, Snow?"

"Yeah?"

"There's something I need to tell you. I wasn't going to say anything, since we don't have all the facts at the moment, but I need to get it off my chest." The brunette suddenly felt sick. She knew that nothing coming out of her husband's mouth was going to be good news.

"I talked to Leroy this afternoon," he began. "He said that there appears to have been a shipwreck about 100 miles from here. As I said, we don't have all the facts, but it sounds like there's a very good chance that it may be the Jolly Roger."

"Oh god," Mary-Margaret said quietly. "What makes them think it's his ship?"

"All Leroy said was that the appearance seemed to match. However, that's all we have to go off of."

"I'm not sure if I even want to know the answer, but have they found any…" she couldn't even bring herself to finish the sentence.

"No, no they haven't found anyone." David knew what she was thinking.

"We can't tell Emma, not yet anyway. I refuse to tell her anything until we know that the ship is indeed the Jolly Roger and that Killian was lost."

"I completely agree."

"Well, enough of this upsetting speculation," Mary-Margaret declared. "Let's go in the other room and enjoy our family, ok?"

A couple of hours later, the entire family was getting ready to hunker in for the night. Sophie had fallen asleep in her father's arms very shortly after dinner. Henry was staring blankly at the TV, clearly paying very little attention to it and Emma was falling asleep as well.

"I think I'm going to head to my room," Emma announced as she slowly stood up.

"'Night, Mom," Henry called after her.

"Night, kid. 'Night Mary-Margaret, 'Night David," she smiled to her parents. Upon arriving in her room, Emma felt her mood change drastically. Every night she crawled into her bed, acutely aware of the empty space next to her. His smell was even beginning to fade from the sheets. Maybe she'd finally allow her mom to wash them. Mary-Margaret had been trying to get Emma to change her sheets, wash the old ones, but Emma refused. His scent on the sheets was comforting, helped her sleep. As she expected, the minute Emma found a comfortable position she became restless. She couldn't stop _thinking_.

"Killian, please come home," she whispered shortly before she finally drifted off.

**There's chapter 1! Hope you've enjoyed so far! There will be an update either tomorrow or the next day, as it's already written out. Reviews would be lovely! :) **

**~Burton's Disney Princess~**


	2. Chapter 2

**First of all I just need to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed! I've never received that kind of love for a story before and let me tell you, it felt great! :) So here is chapter 2! I was originally going to try to update every other day, but it may be every day on some occasions.**

**Enjoy the second chapter!**

**Disclaimer: You really think I own OUAT? You're funny, of course I don't**

Mary-Margaret was woken by a scream in the middle of the night. She didn't even question where the scream came from, rushing to Emma's room. Over the last week or so, Emma had been having nightmares. It seemed they were getting worse and worse every night. At least, Mary-Margaret hoped that was why her daughter was screaming. If it weren't due to a nightmare, then the only other explanation would be that something was wrong with the baby. Emma had already been through enough; she didn't need that on top of everything else that was going on.

"Emma!" Mary-Margaret cried as she threw open the door of her daughter's room. Emma was sitting up, catching her breath. There were tears in her eyes.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" the older woman sat down next to Emma on the bed.

"Nothing, it's nothing. Baby's fine," Emma replied, knowing that was a concern her mother would have. "Just a bad dream is all."

"Emma, that wasn't just a bad dream. I could hear you screaming all the way in our room."

"Everything ok?" David interrupted. He had woken up as well, though not as quickly as his wife.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"She had a nightmare," Mary-Margaret said at the same time. Emma knew that her mother was waiting for more details by the look on her face. For once she decided to appease her. It wouldn't hurt to tell someone about the dream anyway.

"Ok, ok, you're right. I dreamt that I was going into labor and right as the baby was coming, you came to the hospital and told me that the Jolly Roger went down and Killian was dead." Emma immediately started crying again, this time a full-blown sob. She knew that every day that Killian didn't come home, the greater the chances became that he was never going to.

"Oh, honey," Mary-Margaret took Emma in her arms. "He'll come home, I know it." David gave his wife a look, which she desperately tried to ignore. After the news he'd broken to her earlier that evening, there was no reason to be giving Emma false hope.

"Mom, will you stay?" Emma asked after a few moments. Mary-Margaret was shocked, as this is not the sort of thing that Emma would usually ask. In the past, she would have been doing all she could to get everyone out of the room and leave her alone already. Emma shifted in the bed, indicating that her mother should take Killian's usual spot. David awkwardly stood in the doorway, not sure what his role in all of this should be.

"Are you guys going to be ok?" he asked. He supposed if they needed him to stay, they could let him know. However, this seemed to be a moment for mother and daughter.

"We'll be fine, hon. Go back to bed," his wife instructed. David bid the ladies goodnight, and headed back to his and Mary-Margaret's room.

"Emma, are you sure you're alright?" Mary-Margaret asked once more.

"As alright as can be expected, " she sighed. "Like I said earlier, it's starting to hit me that there is a very, very good chance that he won't be here when I have this baby and that scares the crap out of me. On top of that, I just have this…this, _feeling_ and it's not good."

"Well, I have faith that one of these days, he'll come sailing back to you and the baby and everything will be right again." Emma had to smile at her mother's optimism. While she had her doubts, she decided to just accept what her mother had said. That would allow her to sleep easier, even if she was aware that her mom was doing her best to avoid making empty promises.

Mary-Margaret's presence helped Emma's sleep tremendously. Emma hadn't woken up again during the entire course of the night and even seemed rested the next morning. That was something no one in the house was used to anymore.

"Hey, Sunshine," David smiled as Emma followed her mother down the stairs the next morning. She looked better than she had in weeks.

"'Morning, David," she responded. Emma went to go greet Henry and Sophie, while David pulled Mary-Margaret aside.

"What in the world did you do last night? I haven't seen her looking this well since practically before Killian left." David was suspicious.

"I think it was good for her to have company. I'm sure Killian's empty side of the bed really doesn't make sleeping any easier for her," Mary-Margaret told her husband. "Also, I may have said I'm sure he'll be back," she added quietly.

"Mary-Margaret, you didn't," David sighed. He wanted Killian to come home just as much as everyone else in the house did. He wanted to be reassuring, he really did. However, he knew that he'd feel horrible if he told Emma that her husband would return, only to turn around and have to report his death to her.

"Well, I wasn't going to tell her about…what you've heard. She was in an awful state last night. I needed to calm her down and I couldn't think of any other way to do so."

"I understand, I do. It's just…Snow, things really aren't looking good. I'm going to talk to Leroy and some of the other dwarves today, see if they've heard anything else."

"All I can say is, I hope they don't have any news," Mary-Margaret said. David nodded in agreement and then looked up towards the doorframe of the kitchen. Emma was standing there. He hoped that she hadn't heard too much. That was the last thing she needed right now, especially when she was in such a great mood.

"I'm gonna head out," Emma announced as she grabbed her purse and an apple off of the kitchen counter.

"Where to?" David asked.

"Appointment with Dr. Whale."

"Do you need either of us to come with?" Mary-Margaret asked.

"I'll be alright. See you guys later!"

"This isn't going to last, is it?" the older woman thought aloud.

"No, I'm sure it won't," her husband predicted.

"I wouldn't be surprised if she wanted me to stay with her again tonight. I suppose if it helps, I can't object." The couple stood in relative silence for a moment before David decided to move away from the topic of the turmoil that was Emma's life.

"I should probably head out. I have a few dwarves to speak to."

"All right. Be careful. And Charming?"

"Yeah?"

"Bring us good news if you can. If anything, please, please don't bring us anymore bad news."

"I'll do my best." With that, David headed out for the day. All anyone could hope was that he didn't return home with news that any of the scenarios Emma dreamt up had become reality.

Later that morning, Emma returned home from her appointment, still in a good mood.

"I'm home!" the blonde called as she walked in the door, curious as to whether or not anyone was still there.

"In the nursery!" her mother responded.

"Hey," she smiled as she walked in. "Morning, Soph."

"How did the appointment go?" Mary-Margaret asked as she dressed Sophie.

"It was great. The baby's healthy and Dr. Whale said he should be here sometime in the next two weeks."

"He?" As far as Mary-Margaret knew, Emma and Killian weren't planning on finding out the sex of the baby.

"I know we said we wanted a surprise, but what can I say, I changed my mind."

"So does that mean a decision's been made on the name?"

"Not entirely. Killian wanted to name David, but I don't know. I'm not sure how much I like the idea of my child living his life with the name Davey Jones," Emma chuckled. Mary-Margaret joined in, though she stopped abruptly as her older daughter quieted.

"I'm kind of thinking of naming him after his dad," she said in a voice that was almost a whisper. As quickly as Emma's mood had brightened that morning, it turned around. Mary-Margaret's heart broke as she realized the only reason Emma was considering naming the baby after Killian was because she'd resigned to the fact that by this point, it was more than likely that the baby's potential namesake would not be coming home.

**Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as much as the last! I plan to update either tomorrow night or Friday, depending on how much I get written. Remember, reviews and such are lovely!**

**~Burton's Disney Princess~**


	3. Chapter 3

**Guess what, you guys get an update a day earlier than I planned! :) I've decided that instead of updating every other day like I wanted, I'm going to try to do every day. The fic is writing itself and I leave for a 10 day vacation a week from today...I have a feeling none of you want to wait until I get home for this to end ;)**

**Once again, thank you so, so so much for all the kind reviews and faves/follows! Hope you all enjoy chapter 3! Sorry it's a tad short.**

**Disclaimer: Last time I check I don't own OUAT. **

Another week passed and the Jolly Roger's whereabouts was still unknown. As expected, Emma's bright mood barely lasted through the rest of that day. Ever since she'd had the nightmare, Emma found herself asking Mary-Margaret to stay with her during the night. Of course, the older woman couldn't say no to her request. If nothing else, Emma _was_ sleeping better than she had in a while. She also seemed to be catching up on her sleep during the days as well. As she pointed out to her mother, there wasn't much else she would be doing. She had been on maternity leave for a month now. Henry was away at school all day, David was off at work, and Mary-Margaret, who had taken a break from teaching, had her hands full with Sophie all day. Emma offered to help out when she could, but the little girl had become very energetic lately and Emma couldn't keep up with her anymore. In addition, her due date was days away and the pregnancy, on top of everything else, had taken a physical toll on her.

"I think I'm going to go for a walk with Sophie, maybe make a stop at the park. Do you want to come with us?" Mary-Margaret asked.

"I wouldn't mind going, but honestly the thought of getting up off this couch is very unappealing," Emma replied. "Then again, I really have to pee, so maybe I do need to get off the couch…sure, I'll go. Not entirely sure I can make it all the way to the park today though. Is that ok?"

"No problem. We can just go a little ways and then maybe I can take Sophie to the park later after David and Henry come home. "

"Awesome, I'll go get ready." Emma went off to her bedroom in order to change into something a little more presentable than sweatpants and a t-shirt that now barely fit over her belly. As she went to pull off her sweats, she realized that she had failed to notice that they were damp.

"Shit," she muttered under her breath. "Mom!" Emma tried not to freak out. It wasn't the thought of labor that terrified her. She knew it would be painful and miserable, but she'd survived it once; she could do it again. The thought of doing this without Killian was what was scaring her.

"Emma, what's wrong?" Mary-Margaret burst into the room. She knew that there was no way Emma would have addressed her as "Mom" under normal circumstances.

"My water just broke," Emma told her, something close to fear evident when she spoke. She was trying to cover the fact that her eyes were watering up and her voice was on the verge of cracking.

"Don't worry, honey, everything is going to be fine. We'll get you to the hospital and your son will be here before you know it. Are all of your things packed up like we planned?"

"Yeah, my bag's in this room…somewhere." Emma's eyes scanned the room. "Oh, right next to my closet door. Everything should already be in there." Mary-Margaret walked over to the other side of the room and somehow managed to sling the duffle bag over her shoulder while carrying Sophie.

"Ok, I'm going to call David. He said that he'd meet us at the hospital the minute he was needed." After talking her husband, Mary-Margaret declared that he would meet them at the hospital in about 15 minutes. The plan was that he would look after Sophie while Mary-Margaret went into the delivery room with her daughter.

"I can't do this," Emma spoke up on the drive to the hospital.

"Emma, of course you can," Snow said in a gentle yet firm way.

"No, I need…Oh god!…I need Killian here. This baby can't come until he's here," she managed to say between contractions. "I had this stupid hope that he would somehow magically show up in time…Shit! That one was bad."

"You just need to stay strong for your son, okay?" Emma nodded, realizing her mother was right. She could miss Killian all she wanted, wish that he was there, but this baby was coming today regardless of whether or not she got her wish.

**There ya go! Next chapter is going to be a big one! Hope everyone enjoyed - review, maybe? :) **

**~Burton's Disney Princess~**


	4. Chapter 4

**Alright, I wasn't expecting to have time to update tonight, but my plans for tonight go pushed out, so I had a bit of time after work :) It's kind of a short chapter, but pretty important! Hope you guys like it! **

**Once again, thank you SO much for all the love you guys showed the last chapter! **

**Disclaimer: ...still not mine...never going to be.**

Seven hours passed. The baby had yet to make its arrival, but Emma was already near her wit's end.

"Oh my god, can I push yet?" she cried in exasperation.

"Not yet, sweetie; soon though. Hang in there, Emma," Mary-Margaret reassured as she gave her daughter ice chips.

"I don't wanna wait! Damn Killian for ever doing this to me!" A few moments later, Emma's eyes appeared to be tearing up.

"Oh my god! Emma, are you ok?" Mary-Margaret's first thought was that the tears were related to the physical pain she was experiencing.

"I want Killian here," she sniffled. Upon hearing this, Mary-Margaret's heart broke for her daughter. This isn't how this day was supposed to be. Seconds later, a contraction wracked through Emma's body. They were getting extremely close together at this point.

"Oh Emma, I know you do, honey. Remember, you have to stay strong for the baby," the older woman said quietly to her daughter. Her mother was right, of course. However, when she envisioned this day, she always imagined that it would be Killian sitting by her side, holding her hand and coaching her through. It's not that she wasn't appreciative of her mother's presence. She was, obviously. This was just one of those moments where she really needed her husband.

"I can't…I can't do this without him."

"Yes you can, Emma. I _know_ you can and I'll be here for you through everything, ok?" Mary-Margaret soothed. Emma nodded, barely registering the fact that she was being told that it was time to push.

Emma screamed in pain through the entire thing. The whole time, Mary-Margaret was encouraging her, telling her that she was doing great.

"Come on, Emma, one more push and your baby boy will be here," the older woman told her. Emma gave one final, agonizing push and the room was suddenly filled with the healthy cries of a newborn baby. Once she heard that sound, Emma allowed herself to slump back onto the bed. She was exhausted. Her forehead was drenched, blonde hair plastered to it. She was still in immense pain from what her body had just been put through. Despite all of that, she was blissfully happy. Her baby was here, he was healthy, and he'd be going home with her tomorrow instead of into foster care.

"It's a boy!" the midwife declared as the crying baby entered the world.

"Emma, he's beautiful," Mary-Margaret smiled. Emma had yet to say anything, wiping tears from her eyes. Their baby was absolutely perfect.

"Here he is, Mama!" The baby was placed on Emma's chest and she couldn't help but beam down at him.

"Hey, little man," she cooed to him. "You've got your daddy's eyes." Her eyes were still brimming with tears, but she wasn't sure which ones were tears of joy and which ones were results of her missing husband.

"He has your nose and your chin," Mary-Margaret observed.

"Bet you anything he'll have his dad's hair."

"Nah, I think he'll have his mom's hair." The two women sat in silence for a few moments, marveling at the family's newest addition. This was nothing like when Emma had Henry. She had been able to see him for a few minutes, but the whole time her heart had ached because she knew that she wouldn't be keeping him. She would never see his first steps or hear his first word. In fact, she was never supposed to see him again. In stark contrast, she felt pure joy at the moment. She would be there for everything and nothing made her happier. However, it took everything she had to ignore that voice in the back of her mind that was reminding her that this picture wasn't entirely complete.

"What are you going to name him?" the proud grandmother asked, interrupting Emma's thoughts.

"I'm sticking with my decision to name him after his dad; Killian David Jones. What do you think?"

"I think that sounds perfect."

**There it is! Hope you guys enjoyed it! :) Review, maybe? **

**~Burton's Disney Princess~**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! Sorry I never got around to updating yesterday...life just kind of happened. Today's chapter is posted though! Hope you enjoy it! Once again, thank you so much for all the positive feedback you've all given this story! :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon a Time...as much as I wish I did! **

The following day, Emma and Killian Jr. were able to leave the hospital. Emma was able to get a few hours of sleep after the birth, but shortly after she woke up, there were three family members chomping at the bit to see the newest addition.

"Hey Mom!" Henry greeted as he walked through the door ahead of David and Sophie.

"Hey Kid," she smiled. Her voice made it obvious that Emma was still exhausted. "Killian, meet your older brother!"

"Hey buddy, I'm your brother Henry. You're gonna love being part of this family, I can guarantee it. They're the best you could ask for. And of course, you and I will have a ton of fun together…when you're a little older. Right now, I'll just be around to look out for ya." Emma couldn't help but tear up a little as she watched Henry with his brother. She'd never had doubts that Henry would be great with the baby, but actually seeing how much the young man loved his brother put her over the edge.

"He's amazing, Emma," David smiled as he laid eyes on his second grandson for the first time. "Sophie, wanna see the baby?" He sat on the bed next to Emma so that the little girl could get a better look at her new "nephew".

"Bay-ee?" She attempted to repeat what she'd heard her dad say, but it didn't come out quite right.

"Yep! You guys are going to have a blast growing up together," David told her. "What was your final decision on the name?" he turned his attention to Emma.

"Killian David Jones."

"Well, I think it suits him," her father smiled.

"Hey Mom, can I hold him?" Henry asked.

"Sure. Come on over," Emma said. David vacated the spot on the bed next to his daughter so that Henry could sit. After Henry had seen her for a while, she was passed around to her grandparents. Shortly after, the discharge papers were brought to the room and mother and son were cleared to leave.

After the family arrived home, Mary-Margaret told Emma that she should go and rest after offering to take the baby for the afternoon.

"Oh no, Mary-Margaret, you don't have to do that. I want to spend time with Killian anyway."

"Honey, you're exhausted. Just rest for a couple of hours and then you can spend all the time with Killian that you want.

"What if I took a rain check on that offer, asked you to take him when I haven't slept for days," Emma bargained. She may have been exhausted, but right now she didn't even notice that fact. There was simply too much else going on.

"I have an idea. What if we take Killian up to your room, you can nap, and he can join you. This little guy looks like he could use some sleep too. He's had a lot of excitement for one afternoon. I'll come up and keep an eye on him while you rest…and don't worry, I'll be more than willing to look after him once you haven't slept in days too. I've been there and know how that is."

"Alright," Emma gave in after realizing that her mom's plan did indeed sound perfect. Once upstairs, Emma settled on her side of the bed while Mary-Margaret settled into what had become her side over the last few weeks. Little Killian was situated between them. As happy as this made Emma, this was another moment in which she couldn't help but think how her husband should be in Mary-Margaret's place. However, Emma was too tired to focus on this fact the way she usually would. She was out almost immediately. Mary-Margaret smiled upon noticing that Emma appeared to be sleeping more peacefully than she had during any of the other nights she had stayed with her daughter.

Mary-Margaret found herself nodding off when a knock on the door caught her attention.

"Come in," she said, just loud enough to be audible. She didn't want to wake Emma or the baby. David opened the door and stepped into the room.

"Snow, I need to talk to you."

**...and I'll leave you on that note! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I'll be back with an update tomorrow! Keep in mind that this angst fest WILL have a happy ending, you'll just have to wait and see how I do it ;) ****Remember, reviews are awesome! **

**~Burton's Disney Princess~**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry to leave you guys on a cliffhanger yesterday, but I couldn't resist!...also, I just couldn't find another spot where I wanted to break up the chapter. Anyway, first and foremost - thank you for all the reviews and I think there were a couple new favorites last chapter! It motivates me to keep writing :) hope you enjoy this next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon a Time! Also, I cannot be held responsible for any of the events in the chapter because the story sort of just wrote itself and this is where I ended up. **

Mary-Margaret stood up, taking Killian with her. He stirred slightly.

"Oh, I'm sorry buddy! Go back to sleep," she said softly. "What's up, Charming?" Her husband didn't speak immediately, but the look on his face told Mary-Margaret everything she needed know.

"Leroy just stopped over. He confirmed that the ship that was found a last week was the Jolly Roger."

"Oh no," Mary-Margaret could feel the lump forming in her throat. "He's dead, isn't he?"

"Presumed dead, yeah. They never found a body, but Leroy said that judging by the damage done to the ship, it's incredibly unlikely that there were any survivors." Mary-Margaret could tell that David was even trying to hold back tears at the moment. Her heart was breaking for Emma, who would no doubt shut down after receiving the news. It broke for the baby boy in her arms who would never know his dad, as well as for the teenager to whom Killian had become a second father. Finally, Mary-Margaret had to admit that her heart broke for herself and David as well. Despite their initial distaste of the pirate, he had become a part of the family over the last few years and it felt as though they'd lost a son.

"We can't tell her, not right now," the brunette pleaded. "She's happier than I've seen her since Killian left. I'm scared that if we tell her she'll completely shut down even worse than before.

"Snow, I know you're trying to protect her, but we can't keep this from her. She needs and deserves to know," David reasoned.

"Can we at least wait a few days? I just want to give her a few good days with her son before her world comes crumbling down...again."

"Sure. We'll give her some time, get through the party this weekend, and then we'll have to break the news." Mary-Margaret nodded her head in agreement, knowing that if she spoke she would begin sobbing.

"You should take Killian back to bed, stay with Emma until she wakes up," David suggested. "I'm going to hang out with Henry and Sophie. Do you think I should tell him yet?"

"Don't, not yet. I don't think we should tell him until we tell Emma." David agreed to say nothing about the Jolly Roger to Henry and then he and his wife headed back to their destinations. Just as Mary-Margaret had gotten herself and Killian settled into their spots, Emma began to stir.

"Hey, honey," the woman greeted softly as Emma began to open her eyes.

"Hey. Hi, baby boy," she turned towards her son. He looked like a little angel looking back at her.

"How does it feel?" Mary-Margaret smiled as she watched Emma and her baby.

"Amazing. It just makes me sad that I never got to do any of this with Henry," Emma sighed.

"Should we head downstairs? I'm sure everyone else would love to see Killian for a while," the brunette suggested, smiling façade plastered on her face.

"Sure. Come on, bud, we're going to go see the rest of the family!" she then paused as Killian began to fuss.

"Actually, can we stay up here a few more minutes? I think he needs to be fed."

"Of course. Do you want me to leave or –"

"Please stay. I have no clue what I'm doing," Emma said, sounding slightly afraid.

"I'm not going anywhere if you don't want me to," her mother reassured. Emma smiled gratefully before attempting to breast-feed the baby, hoping it would go as smoothly as it had when she had been shown what to do in the hospital. To the new mom's surprise, everything went without a hitch.

"Ready?" Mary-Margaret asked after Emma had finished getting herself put back together.

"Yeah, let's go!"

Emma would consider the rest of the evening one of the best she'd had in a while. Though her mind certainly drifted to her pirate on more than one occasion, the baby, as well as the other family members, were holding most of her attention. Everyone was in such great spirits over the new arrival; it was near impossible to be in a bad mood. However, Mary-Margaret and David could not stop exchanging glances.

"Hey, are you guys ok?" Emma asked her parents. "You both look kind of bummed out."

"Oh, no, we're fine honey. I think we're both just a little tired is all," Mary-Margaret lied. In most cases, Emma would notice that her mother was lying to her right away. However, her boys were currently taking all of her attention and she didn't question her parents any further.

**PLEASE NO ONE KILL ME! Like I've mentioned before, there WILL be a happy ending, just keep reading! Remember, reviews are nice and motivating :) Thanks for reading!**

**~Burton's Disney Princess~**


	7. Chapter 7

**Ahh sorry I didn't post this earlier in the day! Today was incredibly busy...but it's here now! Originally this was going to be two chapters, but because of my upcoming vacation, I'm trying to get everything published. Therefore, you all get a longer chapter! :) **

**Thanks once again for all your nice reviews! I'm glad no one got to angry! Haha. Seriously though, it means so much to me! **

**Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Once Upon a Time!...but I do own season 2 on DVD now**

"We were making it obvious, weren't we?" Mary-Margaret asked her husband after they had retired to their room for the evening.

"Considering Emma called us out while Killian and Henry were holding most of her attention, yeah, we definitely were."

"On the bright side, at least she didn't press anymore than she did. We just need to make sure that we keep it to ourselves through Saturday. I think the party will be good for her, plus I've had so many calls about when people are going to be able to meet Killian."

"I'll bet. I saw Ruby and Granny yesterday and they were both telling me how much they were looking forward to this weekend."

"I'm just not looking forward to Sunday," Mary-Margaret sighed. She knew that they would then need to tell Emma, as well as Henry.

"I know. Let's just go to bed and forget about it for the night," David suggested. Mary-Margaret agreed and the couple proceeded to climb into their bed and get comfortable. Suddenly, there was a light knock on the door.

"Come in!" Mary-Margaret called. Henry walked through the door.

"Hey, what's going on?" David greeted.

"Well…I overheard you two talking today and I need to ask you something," Henry started. Immediately both David and Mary-Margaret knew what exactly it was that the young man had overheard.

"David, I thought I heard you say that Killian is dead? Is that true?" Henry was almost sure he already knew the answer, but he needed to know for sure. It would drive him crazy until his grandparents decided to tell him the truth if he didn't ask.

"Well Henry…" David began, initially trying to sugarcoat the truth in order to look out for the little boy he still saw in Henry. However, he realized that Henry was a teenager now and he'd certainly seen enough in his life that he could handle the straight truth.

"Yes, yes he is. Well, presumed dead. He was never actually found, but the wreck is so bad that it's a long shot that anyone survived, " he confessed. Tears formed around the edges of the young man's eyes and suddenly, he was that young ten-year-old boy David and Mary-Margaret had first met in Storybrooke. He rushed over to their bed where the older woman was waiting with open, comforting arms. Henry didn't say anything for a while. His grandparents knew how hard this would be on Henry. Killian was so much more than a stepfather to the boy. Despite the fact that Neal had stayed in town and Henry saw him often, he was much closer with Killian.

"Does Mom know yet?" Henry finally asked.

"We haven't told her yet, sweetie," Mary-Margaret told him. "We've decided it would be best to wait a few days. It's just…I don't want to kill her happiness this way, not right after the baby. She should be enjoying this time."

"Are you planning on telling her soon?" Henry realized that his grandparents had a good reason for keeping this from Emma, at least for the time being, but he still felt guilty that she was in the dark. Her true love was dead, after all. She had a right to know.

"Yeah, we're going to tell her after the party, on Sunday. We were planning to tell you then as well, but we should have realized you would have no problem figuring it out on your own," David replied. Henry nodded, understanding.

"I'm not sure what I was thinking, believing that he was still going to come back," Henry sighed.

"He's an important part of our lives," Mary-Margaret tried to assure Henry that his hope was not foolish. "The thought of not having him around is something that none of us could imagine."

"That, and every time in the past four years when I've come close to losing someone, they've always came back to me." Henry then asked if it would be all right if he slept on the couch in Mary-Margaret and David's room that night. He told them that he didn't want to sleep by himself. Of course, the couple agreed.

No one slept at all. The threesome lay awake, all aware that everyone else was stirring. They all pretended to be sleeping, though, since no one wanted to talk about what had just been released into the open.

The next few days passed and Emma knew her family wasn't telling her something. She was busy enough with Killian that she couldn't say for sure what that was, but something was up. Asking hadn't done any good; whomever she asked would just deny that anything was wrong. Normally Emma would have put a bit more effort towards figuring things out for herself, but she had a newborn baby to care for. That took priority over whatever was going on with her family. She supposed they would tell her whenever they felt the time was right. On top of that, today was the party that Granny was hosting at which Killian Jr. would meet more or less the entire populous of Storybrooke.

"Today is going to be a big day for you, little guy," Emma told the baby as she got him dressed. "You are going to meet so many people and it's probably going to be kinda scary, but they all wanna meet you and I know they'll love you." She then proceeded to strap him into his car seat before going downstairs to meet the rest of the family. As she expected, everyone was waiting for her.

"Sorry that took so long," she apologized, "Killian wasn't in a great mood this morning. Thankfully, he seems fine now."

"Don't be sorry. We've been there with Sophie and we totally get it," her mother assured her. Emma smiled at the older woman, always grateful for her support.

"Well, shall we?" David asked. "I think there are a lot of people waiting to meet this little guy."

Upon arriving at the diner, Emma realized just how many people had been invited to this event. She began to worry that this was going to be too much for her son. He hadn't had much human contact aside from that with the immediate family.

"Mary-Margaret, do you think he'll be alright? There are so many people in there; I don't want to freak him out!"

"He'll do fine. Remember we did this with Sophie last year? I think she honestly loved all the attention! It'll be the same with Killian, I know it will." Emma couldn't believe she hadn't realized that before. Of course her son could handle this!

Almost every resident of the town, all of whom were dying to meet the savior's younger son, greeted the family.

"Hi!" Emma smiled as she walked through the door. She was bombarded with well wishers from every direction. Looking around the room, she could pick out Regina, Archie, Mulan, Aurora and Phillip, Belle and Rumple, Neal, and Leroy, to name a few.

"Give the woman some space!" Ruby declared as she made her way out from the kitchen. "I need to see this little cutie too!" She made her way towards the front of the crowd, which had dispersed a bit.

"Hey, buddy!" she smiled at the little baby. "Hey, Mama!" Ruby gave her friend a hug before beginning her inquiries about the town's newest arrival.

"So, what's his name?"

"Killian David Jones, after his daddy," Emma explained. She noticed that almost everyone in the room tensed up a bit as she said that, but she chose to ignore it. Surely she was just imagining things.

The next couple of hours were spent mingling with everyone in the room, carefully passing Killian between everyone who had wanted to hold him and answering many, many questions about the little guy. There were also plenty of gifts brought to the event, as Emma had never had a chance to hold a proper baby shower. That was to have occurred the week her pirate returned from his trip, but it had been cancelled for obvious reasons. Emma had just finished opening an adorable set of board books from Belle when she overheard part of a conversation that caught her attention.

"I wonder if she's heard yet," Neal was speaking to Regina, who he was now dating if rumors were to be believed.

"There's no way," Regina stated. "If she had, I can guarantee that she wouldn't be here today. He was like her Daniel."

"God, I can't imagine having to be there when the news is broken to her," Ruby sighed. She and Dr. Whale were sitting at the same booth as the other two.

"I just hope for the boys' sake that she doesn't completely shut down," Regina said, a surprising note of concern in her voice. "Shit," she whispered to the rest of the table as she realized Emma was looking in their direction. Emma couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was Killian _dead_? If he actually was, why the hell had no one told her? She walked over to where Mary-Margaret and Sophie were, sitting with Aurora, Mulan, and Phillip.

"Hey, Killian's getting crabby and I wouldn't mind getting him home for a nap. Do you think we could head out?"

"That wouldn't be the worst idea. Sophie could use a nap as well. I'll go grab your father and Henry and we can wrap this party up," Mary-Margaret agreed. Oddly, when the brunette looked over at Killian in his car seat, he seemed perfectly serene. Something else was wrong; she was sure of it. She found her husband and told him that the babies were both getting tired and that she and Emma were getting ready to take them home. He left with them, but Henry had stayed behind. Grace had been at the party and of course, he had wanted to spend more time with her. He claimed that he hadn't spoken to her much at the party because everyone had been pulling him aside to congratulate him on becoming an older brother. Emma had rolled her eyes, but had agreed to let him stay as long as he promised to be home before it was dark out. She then turned to leave the diner, making sure her strides kept her well ahead of her parents.

**Hope you guys enjoyed it! Expect a review tomorrow evening after I get off of work - remember, reviews are much appreciated :)**

**~Burton's Disney Princess~**


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